OUR
PEOPLE

Chemists
Without Borders has been run by passionate volunteers, organizers, and trustees since its establishment
in 2005. The organization has greatly benefited since with the help of these committed and motivated
individuals.

Steve Chambreau

Steve, who received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from UC Riverside, is a Research Scientist in
the Propellants Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base. Steve is a
Co-Founder of Chemists Without Borders and has served as Vice-President (2005-2013), President
(2013-2015) and on the Board of Directors (2005-2015). As President, he provided support and
oversight to organization’s projects, was involved in membership and volunteer management, and
assisted with fundraising, public relations and newsletter publications. He retired from his roles
as Director and President in January 2016 but continues his support in various aspects. In his
spare time, Steve teaches aikido and enjoys cycling and playing the violin. Click here to view his professional
profile on LinkedIn.

Dr. Bego Gerber (Chairman)

Bego was educated at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland and has Master's and Doctoral degrees from
the University of California Santa Barbara. He is Managing Director of Business Development
International and is an Executive Associate accredited by the Institute for Independent Business.
His expertise ranges from academic medical research to patented new product development; and from
idea processing and information management, to entrepreneurial lifestyle marketing and the
development of B-Quadrant businesses on the Internet. He also spent many years as a passionate
court appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children. As the Chairman and Co-Founder
of Chemists Without Borders he focuses on board development, fundraising, public relations and
partnerships. Click here to
view his professional profile on LinkedIn.

Dr. Ray Kronquist (President)

Ray
received his Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked in the
semiconductor industry for eight years, three of them in Silicon Valley and five in France. The
rest of his career has been spent as an entrepreneur, starting and managing companies in the
semiconductor equipment, education, real estate and poverty alleviation fields. Ray joined Chemists
Without Borders in September of 2014 as the Project Manager of the Bangladesh Arsenic Project. LINK
to project Ray has been involved with many other facets of Chemists Without Borders, and he took
over the office of president from Steve Chambreau in January 2016. Ray enjoys playing tennis, trail
running, and caring for his twin grandsons. Click
here to view his
professional profile on LinkedIn.

Dr. Rolande R. Hodel

Rolande has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from CUNY, Queens College, New York, and since 2009 she has
been an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College, Valhalla NY. Previously, she worked as
a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on drug delivery, specifically
insulin. She is also the proud founder and president of AIDSfreeAFRICA.
For this work Rolande has received three humanitarian awards, namely the US Astellas Foundation
Humanitarian Award administered by ACS in 2009; the Rotary Jersey City, NJ, Legacy of Service Award
for International Service 2015; and Harvard Law School “Getting to Zero” award in 2012. Rolande has
been on the Board of directors of Chemists Without Borders since its inception. Click
here to view her
professional profile on LinkedIn.

Dr. Ronda Grosse

Ronda received her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the Ohio State University. She has worked as
an industrial chemist for more than 25 years in laboratory and managerial roles at Dow Corning
Corporation. Ronda is an active member of the American Chemical Society. She is an advocate for
science education and conducts chemistry demonstrations in local schools, as well as other outreach
activities. Ronda’s international experience includes scientific research in Japan and an
affordable housing project in India. She is passionate about improving quality of lives by
combining science and service, and exploring sustainable ways to collectively create positive
change in our global community. Ronda joined Chemists Without Borders’ Board of Directors in March,
2015. Click
here to view her
professional profile on LinkedIn.

Maria-Stella Portelli

Stella is a Chemistry and Biology graduate of the University of Malta. She currently holds the
position of a medical writer at a healthcare company and has previously worked as a research
chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. Amongst other places, she has travelled to India, Kenya,
Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where she worked on various voluntary projects with different
organizations. For 4 years she was also an active committee member of IAESTE Malta. She started
volunteering with Chemists Without Borders in March 2017 and joined the board in October
2017. Click here to
view her professional profile on LinkedIn.

Joan Chang

Joan received her B.S. from the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry, M.S. in Physical Chemistry from UC
Davis, and M.S. in Global Health from UCSF. She has worked in research from laboratory science to
field research studies, and has worked or volunteered in Taiwan, Japan, Peru, India, and the US
where she works in policy analysis research. Currently she works in health care policy research at
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Joan has been with Chemists Without Borders since
November 2013, has worked on the Bangladesh Arsenic Project since December 2014, and has been on
the Board of Directors since February 2018.